Grand Lake’s osprey pair whose springs and summers have been live streamed for tens of thousands has returned to the nest in preparation for mating season.

On Tuesday, Grand Lake local Kent Roorda, who installed the live feed on the osprey’s nest, informed his international following that the male osprey returned to the nest to fix it up for his mate and potential eggs.

“This is the earliest date that any osprey has returned to my nest since I built the nest in 2016,” Roorda wrote in an email blast.

With Roorda’s permission, the Sky-Hi News is hosting the live stream again at http://www.skyhinews.com/grand-lake-osprey-camera/.

Then on Wednesday, the female osprey was spotted by a keen-eyed viewer, meaning the pair has been reunited to lay eggs.

Roorda’s ospreys have called the nest home for five years now, sharing the ups and downs of nature with an enraptured audience. Last year, the osprey pair successfully hatched three eggs and adopted an orphan osprey before fall came and the ospreys headed south.

Ospreys usually return to their same nests year after year in the spring. The Grand Lake pair has typically arrived around April 15 every year, give or take a few days, Roorda said.

Usually, once the female arrives, the couple, which mates for life, will mate off and on for about a week. With forest destruction from the East Troublesome Fire, more ospreys may be on the lookout for new homes.

Roorda is hoping that means good things for one of his neighbors, who set up a similar nest and live stream capabilities last year hoping to attract an osprey couple. So far, the neighbor’s nest remains unoccupied.

In the meantime, viewers of Roorda’s live stream can enjoy watching the male osprey beautify its nest with sound. This year, Roorda updated the camera with audio abilities to enhance the experience.

“No matter what happens, it is my hope that you enjoy and learn from these amazing animals as they attempt to create another annual family,” he said. “I feel honored that so many of you, all around the world, have received so much enjoyment and knowledge from this pair of ospreys.”

As in previous years, Roorda assured viewers that he doesn’t assist the ospreys in any way, aside from providing the nest.